Order-ish

1/3 of the actual ‘closet’. That’s as much as I dare show.

I don’t know if it’s because summer is ending and schools are opening but I feel this compulsion to organize my life, to clean it up and get it back on track. Or, at least get it to a place where I can see the track. I was thinking I might attack the ‘closet’ in my apartment which is actually a room. The designated bedroom became the closet and the formal dining room became my bedroom because the only closet was actually a linen cabinet in the bathroom. Clothes, junk, treasures, everything finds a place in that room until it’s impossible to navigate. In 8 years I’ve cleaned it out 2 or 3 times. It’s that time, again.

From the looks of it I’ll need a box of contractor grade garbage bags, some plastic storage boxes with lids, shoe organizers, extra hangers and maybe a shovel. Due to the size and scope of the job it’s important to make the commitment that once it’s started the only option is to finish. Though a preliminary plan is helpful , you’ll surely find that there’s no plan for a job like this. You start and you keep going til you’re done. The criteria for what stays and what goes is tricky. If it’s clothes then you ask yourself a few questions: Do I like it? Does it fit? (try it on in front of a mirror) If I haven’t worn it in the last 2 years, will I ever? Is it more useful for someone else now? And the big zen question: Does it give me joy? If all your answers are no with the exception of “is it more useful for someone else”, then it goes in the bag or box.

This is an excellent exercise and one you can apply literally and figuratively to many other areas in you life. Holding on to things that no longer serve you, or a purpose, have no place in your closet or your life for that matter. So dig in and get down to business. There are a number of charitable organizations that give donated clothing to people in need and to those interviewing to join the workforce. Here are a few suggestions that can help you on your mission and in turn help others in need: